Monday, December 29, 2014

Every recession at some point in time becomes a
learning lesson.When the current great recession
began seven years ago in late 2007, the American consumer once famous for our “free-spending ways” has now
according to a new report from Consumer Reports turned into the “American
scrimper”.

In large part during the recession,
American’s began buying less of everything from restaurant meals to housing
even haircuts.The Consumer Reports National Research
Center study found: “Americans
are showing a new optimism. We’re ready to shop again. But we’re not the same
old spendthrifts we used to be; this harrowing economic era has changed
America’s buying habits, perhaps permanently.”

According to Foodservice Solutions®
Grocerant Guru™ the largest increase in retail grocery sales over the last
seven years can be bound within the Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared
food aka Grocerant niche food. Consumers are seeking time savings and
convenience; finding both practicality and indulgence at the intersection fresh
prepared Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat food.

Consumer
Reports found that the one thing that Americans
hate to give up. “Our caffeine habit, for instance.” Starbucks has become
America’s indulgence according to our Grocerant Guru™.While Consumer Reports found “People aren’t
trading down; they’re trading off, there has been a huge surge in gourmet
bagged coffee sales.”

Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh
prepared food has evolved with consumers, endured the rescission and is
positioned to lead the food industry into its next evolution.Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™ has
been at the forefront and can help your company, brand, or leadership team
reposition for success in the Grocerant era simply call: 1-253-759-7869.

Friday, December 26, 2014

In search of food discover consumers
are now Omni-Channel consumers. The
success of Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food has
been documented, talked about and written about for one reason of late. It is
driving top line sales and bottom line profits within existing points of
distribution and more importantly at non-traditional points of fresh food
distribution garnering share from legacy food retailers.

Are you cultivating a brand or curating your brand? Are
you still doing what you did in Is your food company prepared to succeed in 2015,
2016 … 2020? Here are some of the advantages to entering or expanding your
business within the grocerant niche:

More customers Drive Top Line Growth

Brand protectionism is dying.Are you over protecting brand?Most large food retailers, big companies,
have a narrow brand focus. That worked for 50 years. They have honed their
brand and supply chain. They have set and defined boundaries, and it is
difficult for insiders to see outside. Time and technology have redefined the
consumer playing field. Your brand must become dynamic again or risk losing
consumer relevance. There is a huge opportunity for share of market if
you elect to evolve you brand with migrating fresh food consumers in take-out
and take-way options.

Reward Results not Potential

Large food retailers typically pay more at the C-level,
and are seen as stable employment currencies (not-taking risk). However the
grocerant niche when vertically integrated into an existing brand creates a new
level of excitement within the entire company. When sales grow, the opportunity
for advancement expands, building team momentum, excitement explodes like a
wildfire. Customers can feel the proactive positive buzz from employees. Doing the
same old thing is simply doing nothing and Boring. Doing Something new is Soaring. Customers
notice companies on the move and reward them,

Exposure to Change is a Positive

Change is incredibly dynamic, consumer focused changed is
contagious. Change evolves and will go through a bell curve, and you see the
whole thing step by step when you vertically integrate change into brand and
consumer values. If not integrated you do not really get to escape the velocity
of the event, but change is exciting nonetheless and customers will still
follow.

Consumer Relevance Means Driving Momentum

Are you going to tangibly impact your company or maintain
the status quo? Today like never before companies have the ability to evolving
a brand at a speed not seen since your company was a start-up. What impact are
you going to have on your company? There is a difference between the work you
do and the impact you have. Fresh Food retailing is evolving at break neck
speed, evidenced by the Dollar
Store formats selling more foods and Walgreens
selling fresh foods and doing it well as you can see from this
video of a Walgreens in San Francisco. Is
your brand evolving fast?

Spin Out, Spin Off or Springboard to more
Profitability

If you do nothing but wait, watch or blame the economy
you are very likely to simply spin out of control. Redefining your brand with
consumer relevance will position you too either create a positive spin off or
springboard to the next level. Legacy organizations need to be mindful that
springboards do great things for your organization, your team and your
shareholders.

Success Does Leave Clues and Foodservice
Solutions® is clue # 1

LTO's (Limited Time Offers) can drive top line sales and
bottom line profits while taking you in a new direction. Are your LTO's leading
your brand, testing your brand or simply copy-cat marketing tactics absent
strategy?

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared Grocerant niche
food will be on more tables this year than ever before. Restaurants understand
and have been evolving with consumers and retail food industry trends.Cowboy Chicken Wood Fire
Rotisserie, the Dallas-based fast-casual brand, brought back its holiday Wood
Fire Rotisserie Turkey for this holiday season once again.

Cowboy Chicken’s
whole turkeys are seasoned and cooked over the same wood fire. This year,
Cowboy Chicken is offering “a Wood Fire Rotisserie Turkey Holiday Package,
which feeds between eight to ten guests and features a 10 to 12 pound Wood Fire
Rotisserie Turkey, Twice Baked Potaters, a Wild West Side, Country Style
Stuffing, 12 dinner rolls, and Southern Blackberry Cobbler, all for
$84.95. Guests may order their Wood Fire Rotisserie Turkey Holiday
Package at any Cowboy Chicken location between now and December 31, 2014.”

Sean Kennedy, president of Cowboy Chicken said“Our Wood Fire Rotisserie Turkey offers the
perfect flavor and taste of the season, and paired with our seasonal Southern
Blackberry Cobbler, makes every November and December special for our guests,”.
“By using our proprietary Cowboy seasoning and cooking over a wood-burning
fire, you get layers of flavor.”

Cowboy Chicken’s understands consumers desire for
Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food has a new Southern Blackberry
Tea. The new Southern Blackberry Tea is also offered in a portable gallon
container for family gatherings or games to enjoy with a Cowboy Chicken meal
for only $4.99.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Today, Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat
fresh prepared food is blurring the line between restaurants and grocery
stores. Grocerant foods target the time-starved consumers, not with ingredients
to make from scratch rather with Ready-2-Eat or Heat-N-Eat food components that
can be bundled into a meal.

When
thinking about how you shop for most meal preparation needs, you might buy a
rotisserie chicken, pick out something from a salad bar and maybe an appetizer
at the deli service case. Those are components vs. buying uncooked chicken, a
head of lettuce and then having to clean, cut, season and then season and spend
time cooking.

Steven Johnson, is the Grocerant Guru at Tacoma, WA
based Foodservice Solution® and defines the niche this way "Grocerant
means any retail food item that is Ready-2-Eat or Heat-N-Eat
while fresh prepared. Currently these items can be found in grocery stores in
the deli / lifestyle section, Convenience stores in the prepared food area and
prepackaged, ready to eat items and in restaurants under the To-go, takeout or
take away or delivery section of the menu or on the website and now at Chain
Drug Stores Walgreens and Duane Reade."

What is Driving the Grocerant Trend

At noon your customers are just beginning to think about
what's for dinner. 81% of American consumers are unsure about what's for
dinner. Time Starved Consumers are looking for
high quality ready to eat foods and ready to heat meals. Today, time starved
consumer wants to purchase meal components that they can bundle into a
customized family meal that will please everyone without spending time cooking.

Examples of Grocerants

Restaurant examples are McDonalds, Pret A Manger Burger King,
Pizza Hut, Papa Murphy's and Starbucks, each having a fresh Ready-2-Eat or Heat-N-Eat
food menu. You may not think of Walgreens as a food destination yet Walgreens
sells fresh soft-serve yogurt, coffee and sushi at selected stores, so they are
technically Grocerants. In the Casual Dining sector Maggiano's Little Italy
offers a buy one take a 2nd home for free in their Classic Pastas
menu section.

Convenience Store examples are 7 Eleven, Wawa, Sheetz and QuickChek,
all of which sell fresh and prepared sandwiches, salads, beverages.

Drug Store
examples are Walgreen / Duane Reade both offer in both New York and
Chicago Sushi, Smoothie, Wine, Coffee, Sandwiches and
Fro-yo Bars.

The retail supermarket and convenience store sector have
unique grocerant challenges. Presentation of the ready-2-eat or heat-N-eat
fresh food is important. When you get a meal at a restaurant, the plate and the
food look great… let's call this "food for now". Retailers are
primarily selling "food for later" or take-out and unless an item is
a sandwich, the looks of ready-2-eat meals and snacks begin to change.

Why is it so hard to package food to go? In the Hot food
section of the grocery store the food in most cases does not look appealing so
our expectations drop when we get it for Take-Away. In convenience stores like
Wawa, the ready to eat food looks great in the to-go containers. Why? Wawa puts the entire package together. They
exert more control on the look and feel of "food for later".

Around the world we are now seeing sections in
department's stores and kiosk in malls in Europe and Asia and airports around
the world. The items can range from entrees to side items and deserts. Some
examples of items range from fried chicken, mash potatoes, cream spinach, to
liver and onions, pizza, hot dogs, steak, prime rib, various casseroles
(hot-dish) to salads, side salads pie, cake and any single proportioned
deserts. They can be picked up at the specific unit, or delivered.

In summary, a Grocerant is a result of the blurring of
the line between restaurants and grocery stores aimed at the time-starved
consumer with Ready-2-Eat or Heat-N-Eat food components that can be bundled
into a meal. With new non-traditional points of distribution and retail food
competition opening daily your brand is under attack. Are you ready for outside
eyes?

Are
you trapped doing what you have always done and doing it the same way?Interested
in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your
retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient
meal participation, differentiation and individualization? Email
us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:www.FoodserviceSolutions.us
for more information.